CEF TELECOM 2017

CALLS FOR

PROPOSALS

CEF-TC-2017-3 eInvoicing

eTranslation

Europeana Public Open Data

Guide for Applicants

Version 1.0 – 28 June 2017

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1. Introduction 3

2. Funding under the CEF Telecom 2017 Work Programme 4

3. Evaluation and selection process 4

3.1. ASSESSMENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH FORMAL REQUIREMENTS, ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION

CRITERIA, AND EU LAW 5

3.2. EXTERNAL EVALUATION 5

3.3. FINAL SELECTION PROCESS 6

3.4. OPINION BY MEMBER STATES AND INFORMATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 6

3.5. PREPARATION AND SIGNATURE OF GRANT AGREEMENTS 7

4. Preparing an application 7

4.1. GETTING STARTED 8

4.2. PART A 8

4.3. PART B: ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS 25

4.4. PART C: COMPLIANCE WITH EU POLICY AND LAW 29

4.5. PART D: TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION 30

5. Procedure for submission of proposals 35

5.1. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION & HOW TO SUBMIT 35

5.2. FURTHER INFORMATION OR CLARIFICATIONS 37

5.3. PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA 38

6. Glossary 40

7. Creating an EU Login/registering in TENtec 46

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1. Introduction The purpose of this Guide for Applicants is to provide guidance for those wishing to apply for financial support from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme in the field of the trans-European telecommunications networks sector under the CEF-TC-2017-3 call covering the following

DSI (Digital Service Infrastructure) areas:

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Please note that this Guide is for information purposes only. It has no legal value and it does not supersede the rules and conditions laid out in the relevant legal bases indicated below.

Overview of this Guide

This Guide for Applicants is structured as follows:

Sections 2 and 3 provide an overview of funding used for the CEF Telecom and the evaluation process for proposals

Section 4 provides information on how to prepare an application and complete application form parts A, B, C and D.

Section 5 describes the submission procedure Section 6 is a glossary of terminology used in the call/call process Section 7 gives information on how to create an EU Login1 (formerly ECAS account) and

register in TENtec

Reference documents

All applicants are highly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the following main legal documents referred to in this Guide:

• CEF Regulation: Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 of European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 20132

• CEF Telecom Guidelines: Regulation (EU) No 283/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 on guidelines for trans-European networks in the area of

telecommunications infrastructure3 • Financial Regulation: Regulation (EU, EURATOM) No 966/2012 of the European

Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 20134 as last amended by Regulation (EU, EURATOM) No 2015/1929 of 28 October 20155

• Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 6 as last amended by Commission delegated

Regulation (EU) No 2015/2462 of 30 October 20157 • 2017 Work Programme: Commission Implementing Decision C(2017)696 of 8 February

2017 • Call texts: Individual call for proposals addressing the DSIs mentioned above as published

on the INEA website

Other documents referred to in this Guide are:

1 In November 2016, the European Commission Authentication Service (ECAS) was replaced by EU Login. 2 See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32013R1316 3 See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014R0283 4 See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32012R0966 5 See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1486047068194&uri=CELEX:32015R1929 6 See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32012R1268 7 See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1486050127192&uri=CELEX:32015R2462

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• Model grant agreement: including its annexes which specifies the terms and conditions

to which an applicant or consortium will be expected to agree if its proposal is selected for funding

• Proposal checklist: available on all call webpages All of the above documents are available on the individual call webpages on the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) website, accessible via the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-

telecom-calls-proposals

2. Funding under the CEF Telecom 2017 Work Programme CEF supports trans-European networks and infrastructures which fill the missing links in Europe’s

energy, transport and telecommunications sectors. It is a key EU instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted investment at European level. Projects in the field of telecommunications aim at facilitating cross-border interaction between public administrations, businesses and citizens, by deploying DSIs and broadband networks. Supported projects will

contribute to the creation of a European ecosystem of interoperable and interconnected digital services that sustain the Digital Single Market.

CEF Telecom is designed to deploy DSIs across the EU based on mature technical and organisational solutions. It focuses on providing functional services which are ready for deployment and which will be maintained over time - instead of developing pilots or new technologies.

CEF Telecom projects of common interest aim to be mutually reinforcing and complementary.

There are many potential linkages between the DSIs, in particular the building block DSIs which enable the proper functioning of the other sector-specific DSIs.

The 2017-3 call sets aside funding for four well-established DSIs:

eInvoicing eTranslation Europeana

Public Open Data Generic services for Europeana and eTranslation (Automated Translation) were already funded under the 2016-3 call. Both eInvoicing and Public Open Data have received funding annually since 2015. Information on these DSIs is available in the 2017 Work Programme, which is accessible on the

each of the individual call webpages via the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-telecom-calls-proposals

For policy-related information on the CEF Telecom programme, visit the Digital Single Market website: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/connecting-europe-facility.

3. Evaluation and selection process The European Commission and INEA carry out the evaluation and selection of proposals submitted under CEF Telecom, with the support of independent technical experts. The aim of the evaluation is to ensure that only the highest quality proposals which best meet the award criteria as described in the Work Programme and call text are selected for funding. The evaluation process is based on these key principles:

1. Equal treatment: all proposals are evaluated in the same manner against the same criteria

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2. Transparency: adequate feedback is provided to applicants on the outcome of the evaluation of

their proposals. 3. Objectivity: the evaluation is based on defined award criteria. Proposals which meet the formal requirements, as well as the eligibility and selection criteria are evaluated on the basis of the award criteria, all of which are defined in the relevant Work Programme and call texts. These award criteria relate to relevance, quality and efficiency of the

implementation, and impact and sustainability, which are further explained below.

The call and evaluation process is a joint exercise involving close cooperation between INEA and the European Commission. The main stages are described in more detail in the following sections.

3.1. Assessment of compliance with formal requirements, eligibility,

selection criteria, and EU law

After the call closes, all submitted proposals for the CEF Telecom calls are first checked for admissibility i.e. verified regarding their compliance with the formal requirements set by the call text, such as whether they were submitted before the call deadline, are complete, and duly signed.

Each proposal is then assessed against the eligibility criteria.8 Any proposals which do not meet these criteria are rejected, and applicants are duly informed of the reason.

The compliance of the proposal with the selection criteria and the relevant EU legislation is also verified during this stage. In case any further clarifications are needed, applicants may be contacted during the evaluation process. Any concerns about the compliance of the proposal with the relevant EU legislation may be taken into account during the final selection process and may also be addressed during the individual grant agreement preparation.

3.2. External evaluation After assessment of the admissibility and eligibility criteria, proposals are assessed by

independent technical experts, who are selected on the basis of their technical knowledge, taking into account the thematic focus of the call(s), and with consideration of geographical and

8 See Section 6 of the respective call text and Annex 2 of the 2017 Work Programme for more information on

the eligibility criteria

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gender balance. The experts perform assessments in their personal capacity and not as

representatives of their employer, country or any other entity. They sign a contract with INEA, as well as a declaration on confidentiality and absence of conflict of interest. Experts are required to adhere to confidentiality rules at all times before, during and after the evaluation. Each application is first assessed independently by a minimum of three experts against the three applicable award criteria. Each expert completes an individual assessment and assigns a score per criterion, on a scale from 0 to 5. Experts are also required to provide comments to justify their

scores, which must be consistent with scores awarded. After the experts have completed their individual assessments, a consensus meeting, which is moderated by Agency staff, is held with all of the experts assigned to a specific proposal. During this meeting, a consensus report is agreed and signed, providing a score for each criterion and the justifying comments. Experts may also make recommendations regarding the amount of funding

and/or the duration of a proposed Action.

The minimum threshold for all criteria is 3 out of 5 points. Moreover, a total score is calculated on the basis of the individual award criteria, with a minimum threshold for the proposal to be recommended for funding of 10 points. Any proposal which does not obtain at least 3 points for each criterion and at least 10

points overall will not be recommended for funding.

3.3. Final selection process

The Internal Evaluation Committee, composed of representatives from all of the DSI owners in the relevant European Commission Directorates, assesses the outcome of the external evaluation and draws up the list of proposals both recommended and not recommended for funding.

Proposals that achieve a score greater than or equal to the threshold described above are ranked according to the total score obtained. This ranking determines the order of priority for funding.9 This list is sent to the Directors of the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content

and Technology (DG CNECT) for endorsement. DG CNECT then prepares the final list of proposals recommended for funding in the form of a draft Commission Implementing Decision (known as the Selection Decision), taking into account the scores and ranking of the proposals, programme priorities and available budget. The Selection Decision may include a reserve list of proposals to be prepared should budget become available.

For each proposal, a recommendation for the level of funding of the proposed Action is given, as well as any other recommendations considered appropriate.

3.4. Opinion by Member States and information to the European

Parliament The European Commission presents the final list of proposals recommended for funding (Selection Decision) to the CEF Coordination Committee (composed of representatives of the 28 Member

States) for its opinion. Before adoption by the Commission, the Selection Decision must receive a positive opinion by the CEF Coordination Committee. The European Parliament is also informed about the proposed list. The Selection Decision is then adopted by the Commission, listing all proposals selected for funding, the respective maximum amounts of funding per Action and the beneficiaries of the EU funding.

Applicants/coordinating applicants of all the submitted proposals are then informed in writing about the outcome of the evaluation for their proposal.

9 See Annex 2 of the 2017 Work Programme for more information on the procedure for the priority order of

proposals with the same score

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3.5. Preparation and signature of grant agreements Each applicant whose proposal is selected for funding will then be invited to the grant agreement preparation phase with INEA. The model grant agreement is available on the each of the individual call webpages, accessible via

the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-telecom-calls-proposals

Applicants are requested to carefully read the model grant agreement and its annexes, especially the

General Conditions, before submitting a proposal.

Grant agreement preparation will cover the technical, legal or financial aspects as well as other

relevant issues regarding the proposal based on the results of the evaluation. Upon finalisation with the Agency, the grant agreement will be sent to the coordinator (for multi-beneficiary actions) or the beneficiary (for single-beneficiary actions) for signature. For multi-beneficiary actions, an applicant must designate itself or another applicant to serve as the coordinator. The coordinator is the main contact point for INEA during the project management

phase and will be, inter alia, responsible for receiving the payment(s) from the Agency and distributing the funds to the other beneficiaries, as well as coordinating the reporting exercise(s), including the submission of request(s) for payment. In addition, it is also strongly recommended that for multi-beneficiary Actions, beneficiaries sign an internal cooperation agreement regarding their operation and coordination, including all internal aspects related to the management of the beneficiaries and the implementation of the proposed

Action.

4. Preparing an application Applicants wishing to apply for funding under CEF Telecom calls must submit an application for an action, which according to the CEF Regulation, is defined as "any set of activities which has been identified as financially and technically independent, has a set timeframe, and is necessary for the implementation of a project of common interest and which may be granted financial assistance following a call for proposals and evaluation process" (See Glossary).

All proposals must clearly describe the:

planned activities of the proposed Action, related milestones and/or expected results information on who will carry them out costs reason(s) why they should be supported financially by the EU.

All information relevant for the evaluation of the proposal must be included within the application. Applicants must complete and submit the application forms electronically, using the TENtec eSubmission module. A link to the module is also provided on each individual call webpage, accessible via the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-

telecom-calls-proposals

Applicants are reminded to ONLY use application forms for the current 2017-3 call, i.e. application forms from the previous call(s) will NOT be accepted.

The TENtec eSubmission module is part of the TENtec Information System used to manage the CEF actions during their entire lifecycle and enables the electronic submission of proposals under the CEF calls.

Application form The application form is composed of four parts:

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Application

part

Description

Part A identifies the main characteristics of the proposal (e.g. summary of the proposed

Action and description of its activities, contact details and characteristics of the applicants, as well as information related to the funding requested, etc.)

Part B provides administrative information about the applicants, their designated affiliated entities and/or implementing bodies and their financial and operational

capacity

Part C provides information on the compliance of the proposed Action with EU law and other sources of EU funding

Part D "the heart of the proposal", provides technical and financial information on the proposed Action submitted for funding

4.1. Getting started

The following sections of this Guide will provide specific instructions and recommendations on how to complete each part of the application. In addition, please keep the following points in mind:

Carefully read the information in the following sections which will explain the requirements and content of each part of the application. Make sure to refer to the call text for specific requirements, such as consortium composition.

Remember to refer to the legal documents listed in section 1 above (and available on each individual call webpage) for any other explanations concerning the calls.

For first-time users of the TENtec eSubmission module, an EU Login is required. First-

time users must also register their EU Login in TENtec. See section 7 below for details on how to do this.

Use the proposal checklist available on each call webpage when finalising the application to help you ensure that all parts of the application have been completed and included in your final submission.

The TENtec eSubmission module's applications have been extensively tested on Google

Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers. Therefore, for best results it is

recommended that these browsers are used when working in the TENtec eSubmission module.

4.2. Part A Part A identifies the main characteristics of the proposal (e.g. summary of the proposed Action and description of its activities, contact details and information about all of the applicants, as well as information related to the funding requested etc.). Application form part A must be encoded in the TENtec eSubmission module, whereas

the other parts and any supporting documents/annexes must be uploaded to the TENtec eSubmission module. Please note that for application form part A, ONLY the information encoded in the TENtec system will be taken into account for the evaluation (notwithstanding the obligation to upload completed and signed versions of application forms part A2.2 and A2.3 (see

below).

The link to the TENtec eSubmission module (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/tentec/grant/esubmission/) can also be found on the individual call webpages. The Word version of part A included on the call webpages is for REFERENCE ONLY. It is formatted slightly differently to how it is displayed in the TENtec Submission module user interface. For reference, the section numbers of the Word version are

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listed below in (parentheses).

Tip: First download the Word version of part A to become familiar with the information required before inputting data in the TENtec eSubmission module.

Creating an application To create an application, sign in to the TENtec eSubmission module and click on the button "Create

new application".

Select the specific call/DSI area for which the application is being prepared. The call priority and subpriority will be pre-filled automatically depending on the call. Enter the title and click the "Create button". Note: when choosing the proposal title, do NOT use continuous capital letters or abbreviations. Once the application has been created, edit it by clicking on the application in the home screen of

the TENtec Evaluation module. The application will now have a unique code composed of eight

digits. When communicating with INEA during the preparation of the application, the applicant(s) must use this unique identification code.

Please note that all items marked with an asterisk (*) in the TENtec eSubmission module

indicate the minimum amount of information necessary to save the application in the system. Completion of all remaining fields is required for the final submission of the proposal.

In order to check the progress of the proposal completion, click on "Submit this Application". The list of missing elements will be displayed and must be completed before the proposal can be successfully submitted. This feature can also be used as a checklist to ensure follow-up of the missing information, ideally well before the call deadline. Remember that any application submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Contributors panel

Applicants have the possibility to give access to the application to additional users, either in read-only mode or with editing rights. Click on the TENtec eSubmission module's "Contributors" section, which is the first link under the "Application Management" section in the Application Editor navigation list.

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Click the "Add contributor" button and enter in the box as indicated the contributor's exact e-mail address associated with his/her EU Login. Please note that only those users with an EU Login will be permitted. (If the contributor does not yet have an EU Login, please see section 7 below for details on how to do this.) Check the "Contributor restricted to read-only access" box if this person should only have read-only access to the application (i.e. no editing rights).

It is recommended that the actual applicant (or coordinating applicant in case of a multi-applicant proposal that will also finalise and submit the application) creates the application in the first place and subsequently adds the contributors, as appropriate.

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Locking/unlocking an application in the TENtec eSubmission module: If several users have access to the

same application, the application is automatically locked as soon as one of the users starts to edit the information. After a contributor finishes editing, (s)he should click on the red "Unlock Application" box in the upper right corner of the screen before logging out of the session, in order that another contributor is able to edit.

Inputting any data will once again lock the application. Please note that no simultaneous editing is possible. Click on the "What's this?" link next to the "Unlock Application" for more information.

HOW TO FILL IN PART A General information (A1)

The general information section includes information on the proposed Action's timing and scope.

After creating an application, click on the "Edit" button under the "General information" section in order to edit the details entered during the creation of the application.

Scope and objectives of the proposed Action: Add a concise summary addressing the proposed Action's scope and objectives, which should be no more than 2000 characters. This summary will be used in subsequent reporting on the results of the call, as well as for the grant

agreement if the proposal is selected for funding. Clarity and conciseness are therefore important.

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At this stage, it will no longer be possible to change the call under which the application is being

prepared. If the proposed Action addresses a different call for proposals, please withdraw and re-submit it as a new application (see section 5 below). Information on the Start and End date of the proposed Action is displayed in the general information section but is not editable. The dates shown are calculated automatically based on the earliest starting date and latest end date of the activities of the Action entered in TENtec (see section "Activities and Milestones" below).

The start date of the Action is the day on which the implementation of an action actually begins, as stated in the grant agreement. It also corresponds to the date from which costs may be considered eligible. For actions supported under these calls, costs may be eligible at the earliest as from the date on which the application is submitted. The end date must be consistent with the indicative duration as specified in section 10.4 of the specific call text:

2017-3

eInvoicing 12 months

eTranslation 24 months

Europeana 18 months

Public Open Data 24 months

Applicants (A2-A2.4)

The applicants section includes the administrative and contact information of all the applicants. Make sure to refer to the relevant call text (section 6.1) which lists any specific requirements concerning consortium composition.

In the TENtec eSubmission module's "Applicants" section, click on the "Create new applicant" button and provide the applicant's official legal name, general administrative data and its legal

status among the following options:

1. Member State/EEA country10 2. Third country

3. Public sector undertaking or body established in the EU/EEA 4. Private undertaking or body established in the EU/EEA 5. Public sector undertaking or body established outside the EU/EEA 6. Private sector undertaking or body established outside the EU/EEA 7. International organisation 8. European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) 9. Joint Undertaking11

10 For the purposes of this call, applicants from Norway and Iceland are referred to as EEA countries and can

participate with the same rights, obligations and requirements as EU Member States. Applicants from Liechtenstein are considered as third country applicants for this call.

11 For the purposes of this call, a Joint Undertaking means a joint undertaking established by the EU for the efficient execution of EU research, technological development and demonstration programmes, as referred to in Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012E%2FTXT

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Please see the Glossary for definitions and examples.

Applicants that fall within categories 3, 4, 5, 6, or 8 must specify whether they have the legal personality in accordance with the applicable national legislation. In the absence of legal personality, the applicants concerned must provide their statutes (or the relevant abstracts) demonstrating that their representative has the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf. Upload this information in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting documents"

section in the top part "Required documents related to the applicant(s)", using a single zip file if there are multiple documents (see section 4.6 below). If there is more than one applicant in a proposal, follow the steps listed above to add another applicant. All applicants will appear in a summary table on the "Applicants" page. Note that some calls include a consortium composition criterion in section 6.1 of the relevant call

text. To be taken into account as part of the required number of consortium members, an entity must participate as an applicant in a proposal.

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Consortium composition

Below are the consortium composition requirements for the 2017-3 call. Please check the relevant call text as indicated for additional information.

2017-3

eInvoicing At least two public and/or private entities from one or more Member State(s)

eTranslation At least two public and/or private entities from two or more Member State(s)

Europeana At least three public and/or private entities from three or more

Member State(s)

Public Open Data (No specific requirements for minimum number of applicants, but please see 6.1 of the call text for specific information)

Coordinating applicant: The coordinating applicant leads and represents all of the applicants and acts as the first point of contact with the Commission and/or INEA during the evaluation process. As a reminder, applicants of multi-applicant proposals must designate a coordinating applicant.

To do this, in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Applicants" section, select from the drop down menu the legal entity that will act as the coordinating applicant. The person indicated to be the person in charge at this entity will automatically be considered the first contact point for the application.

Unless specified otherwise by the applicant, it is assumed that the coordinating applicant will automatically become the project coordinator if the proposal is selected for funding. The coordinator will perform the tasks as described in the model grant agreement.12 (However, a

coordinating applicant and (project) coordinator do not necessarily have to be the same entity.) Additional information is also requested about the applicants. In the "Applicants" section of the TENtec eSubmission module, click on the applicant's name and a new window with five tabs will open.

12 See section II.1.3 of the model grant agreement, which outlines the general role and obligations of the

coordinator

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Legal entity: In this tab, provide the information concerning the legal entity of the applicant by clicking on the "Edit" button, including its name, legal status and administrative information. Person in charge: The person indicated under this section will be considered as the first contact point of the application if necessary during or after the evaluation process. In this tab, provide the contact details of the coordinating applicant of the proposal by clicking on the "Edit" button. Make

sure to save any changes. Authorised representatives: In this tab, provide details about the person authorised to sign the

application by clicking on the "Edit" button. The application form page containing these details must be printed and signed by the authorised representative (see section 4.2 "Completion of part A").

A second authorised representative may be entered by adding this information as indicated. Note that a second representative is purely optional and should only be added if the statutes of the applicant require joint representation. Approval Ministry: In respect of the CEF Regulation, each applicant – except for Member State/EEA countries – must obtain the approval of the concerned EU Member State for the

application to be eligible (form A2.3). The "concerned Member State/EEA country" is usually considered to be each Member State/EEA country in which the proposed Action will be implemented. While in most cases, the "concerned Member State" will be the Member State of establishment of

an applicant, in cases in which an applicant takes part in a proposal located in a different Member State, the approval should be sought from the Member State where the proposal is being

implemented. Please note that this agreement does not constitute any commitment of the Member State(s) concerned to financially support the action proposed for funding. When the Member State is not the beneficiary of the financial aid, its agreement on the proposal does not make it liable legally and financially in case the beneficiary does not comply with the terms of the grant agreement.

Even if there is more than one applicant in a consortium from the same country, each individual applicant must have the Member State approval. If the relevant Member State approval is not obtained, the proposal will be considered not compliant with the eligibility criteria specified in the call text and will not be evaluated. In the case of a multi-applicant proposal, the applicant concerned may be excluded from the proposal.

See also the section "Completion of part A" for additional information.

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In the TENtec eSubmission module the Approval Ministry tab will only appear if one of the following

categories is selected for legal status of the applicant:

2. Third country 3. Public sector undertaking or body established in the EU/EEA 4. Private undertaking or body established in the EU/EEA 5. Public sector undertaking or body established outside the EU/EEA 6. Private sector undertaking or body established outside the EU/EEA

7. International organisation 8. European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) 9. Joint Undertaking

Click on the "Edit" button to add the details of the Ministry and the name of its representative that is authorised to approve the application. It is expected that applications under CEF Telecom gather

the support of the Ministry competent in the area of the given policy and/or the CEF. For a proposal submitted by an international organisation or EEIG, information from only one Member State/EEA

country is sufficient to validate the participation of the proposal of this organisation/entity. The application form page containing these details (form A2.3) must be completed and signed by the representative of the concerned EU Member State Ministry - see section 4.2 "Completion of part A".

In order to reduce the administrative burden, a Member State may provide one approval for all applicants from its Member State, as long as it is possible to verify for which applicants the approval applies. This can be done, for example, by:

attaching a letter explaining which applicants are covered by the signature on a signed A2.3 form.

using the Word version of the A2.3 form to include the details of all applicants for which the

Member State is providing its approval. The Member State should then sign this version of the form.

Note that a Member State may have a particular process in place for providing its approval for proposals under CEF Telecom. It is strongly recommended that applicants contact the relevant Member State authorities as soon as possible when starting the proposal preparation to clarify any

specific procedures or requirements for obtaining the approval. For this purpose, a list of Member State contact points is available on each of the individual call webpages. In addition to providing the approval of the EU Member State/EEA country concerned, applicants that are third countries or entities established in third countries (other than EEA countries) must provide additional supporting documents (see section 4.3.3 below and section 6.1 of the call text).

Implementing body: An implementing body is a public or private undertaking or body designated by a beneficiary, where the beneficiary is a Member State or an international organisation, to implement the action concerned. This tab will appear only for applicants that are EU Member States/EEA countries and international organisations. All other applicants are not entitled to

designate an implementing body. Click the "Add implementing body" button and add the implementing body's name, legal status and

administrative information. The information provided must allow the implementing body to be identified without ambiguity. Multiple implementing bodies may be added, if applicable. Please note however that implementing bodies are not considered applicants. In case the call

includes consortium composition criteria in section 6.1 of the call text, only applicants will be taken into account as part of the required number of consortium members. Affiliated entities: An affiliated entity is an entity affiliated to the beneficiary within the meaning of Article 122 of the Financial Regulation. Examples of affiliated entities could be as follows:

Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the beneficiary (daughter companies or first-tier

subsidiaries)

Entities directly or indirectly controlling the beneficiary (parent companies) Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the beneficiary (sister companies)

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Any designated affiliated entities must comply with the eligibility and selection criteria defined in

the Work Programme and the respective call text (see also section 4.3.3 below). Affiliated entities are not considered to be a part of the consortium and therefore are not taken into account when verifying the consortium composition against the requirements laid down in the call for proposals. Under this tab applicant(s) that wish to designate one or more affiliated entities to be involved in the implementation of the proposed Action must enter information for each entity involved in the proposal. Click the "Add affiliated entity" button and add the affiliated entity's name, legal status

and administrative information. Activities and milestones (A3.1) The eSubmission module's "Activities and Milestones" section requests specific information about the proposed Action. See the examples at the end of this section for additional information.

Activities: An activity is a part of the proposed Action that is distinct technically, financially or over

time and which contributes to the completion of the proposed Action. "Activities" can also be compared to the term "work packages" used in project management methodologies and/or referred to in other EU programmes and calls. Activities may be composed of one or more tasks. The implementation of an activity leads to the

completion of an expected result or output, and/or one or more deliverables.13 The description should encompass:

the description of the tasks to be implemented list of deliverables and performance indicators, as relevant short description and estimated cost of any subcontracting element (if applicable – and

note that further details on subcontracting will also be requested in section 2.6 of application form part D)

indication of the person months effort for the activity description and estimated cost of any major cost item (other than personnel and

subcontracting) First click on the "Add activity" button and for each activity of the proposed Action, enter its name, description, start and end date. There is a 4000 character limit for the description. The earliest

starting date and latest end date of the activities of the Action entered here will be displayed in the general information section in the TENtec eSubmission module (see General information (A1) above).

13 A deliverable means a distinct output of the action, meaningful in terms of the action's overall workflow and

objectives. Please provide both the nature of the deliverable: Report (R), Demonstrator (D), Specification (SP), Other (O), and the foreseen dissemination level: PU = Public, for wide dissemination, PP = Restricted to other programme participants, RE = Restricted to a group specified by the consortium, CO = Confidential, limited to the beneficiaries

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Please note that no verifying milestones may be added to an activity (see below), before the activities are added. Indicate the responsible applicant(s) from the list. Attach a Gantt chart of the proposed Action to application form part D detailing the critical path, including interdependencies and milestones of each activity (see section 4.5 below). Milestones: Milestones indicate how the activity and its associated expected result(s) are

progressing. The number of milestones per activity will depend on the complexity and duration of each activity. Each milestone should relate to at least one activity, have an expected date, and preferably any corresponding intermediate steps, including deliverables as relevant. By definition, milestones are one-off events and therefore the means of verification should be easy and concrete. Examples of milestones include: publication of a tender, signature of a contract,

purchase of equipment, starting, completion of a dissemination measure, etc.

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Some practical advice for the description of activities and milestones:

• Briefly explain any specific terms/abbreviations you are using in the descriptions • Provide all relevant information in a precise way: implementation addresses the who (which applicants,

external experts, other bodies and why), where, when, and how (via which tasks); and finally what will be the result of the activity. Describing an activity with only 2-3 sentences is not sufficient.

• Avoid repeating the same description several times • Aim to be concise: you don't need too many milestones for each activities, 2-3 milestones per activity

would be sufficient showing what has been accomplished during each half a year of the implementation of the Action.

• Don't forget that each activity needs to have at least one milestone. For multi-applicant proposals: • do not encode the same activity several times per each applicant (if more than one applicant has the

same or similar tasks under this activity) but rather make one common activity concerning all applicants,

• if the same milestone appears several times for each applicant, make one common milestone concerning all applicants

Milestones must be evenly distributed over the duration of the proposed Action. In this respect, a concentration of milestones towards the end of the proposed Action must be avoided because it would give limited means for monitoring its implementation. The start-up event (i.e. the start of

the implementation period of the proposed Action) and the end event (i.e. the end of the implementation period of the proposed Action) should be clearly identified. First click on the "Add milestone" button and then enter its name, description, expected date and means will be used to verify its achievement/completion. Repeat this step to add multiple milestones. Then go back to the list of activities, click once on the selected activity and select the verifying milestone(s) and responsible applicant(s) attributed to the activity. Repeat as necessary

to attribute milestones to all activities.

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Examples of activities and milestones

Please be aware that each DSI area is distinct and the examples listed below are for illustrative purposes only. Remember to establish the list of your activities and milestones based on the needs and scope of your action and in relation to the requirements of relevant call for proposals:

Activity name

Activity description Verifying milestone

Technical requirements analysis

This activity will consist of the description and detailed analysis of technical and functional requirements. The definition and implementation of the common data model/technical specifications will be also undertaken as part of this activity. (…)

1

Set up of the national implementation/ gateway

This activity will be dedicated to setting up and configuring the national implementation/gateway. (…)

2, 4

Testing This activity will be comprised of testing-related tasks, such as the unit, integration and conformance testing of the national implementation against technical specifications. (…)

3

Milestone number

Milestone description Means of verification

1 Creation of approved technical requirements list List of technical requirements

2 Completion of the set up of the national gateway/software implementation

URL of the service

3 Completion of the unit, integration and conformance tests

Test report(s)

4 Review of the implementation by external experts

Experts' report

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Costs (A3.2)

The "Costs" section of the TENtec eSubmission module is where all of the relevant financial information related to the proposed Action should be provided.

Indicative breakdown per beneficiary of estimated eligible costs of the action: For each

activity indicated in the table, click on each applicant and enter in the pop-up window the indicative breakdown of the following direct eligible costs to be incurred during the implementation of the proposed Action:

Personnel costs14 Subcontracting costs Other costs (i.e. travel and/or subsistence costs)

All amounts must be in euros.

14 Notwithstanding the form of grant, personnel costs may be declared on the basis of average costs calculated

in accordance with the beneficiary's usual costs accounting practices, in compliance with the conditions laid down in Commission Implementing Decision C(2016)478 on the reimbursement of personnel costs of beneficiaries of the Connecting Europe Facility.

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In order to be able to add costs in this section, the activities and applicants responsible for carrying them out must first be added in the "Activities and Milestones" section of the TENtec eSubmission module.

The remaining fields in the table will be calculated automatically as follows:

"Total" column: contains the total of the direct eligible costs – namely personnel costs, subcontracting costs and other costs

"Indirect eligible costs" column: contains those costs which are not identifiable as direct

costs but are incurred in connection with the eligible direct costs of the action. They are reimbursed on the basis of a 7% flat rate of all eligible direct costs minus subcontracting costs.

"Total eligible costs" column: contains the sum of the "Total" and "Indirect eligible costs"

column. For information on the eligibility of costs, please refer to the section 10.2.2 of the relevant call text, Article 126 of the Financial Regulation and Article 187 of its Rules of Application concerning the eligibility of costs, as well as the model grant agreement available on the relevant call webpage.

CEF co-financing rate and estimated CEF contribution: The requested co-financing rate will be the same for all activities of the action and for all applicants within the same activity and must not exceed the maximum co-funding rate specified in section 10.2.1 of the relevant call text:

2017-3

eInvoicing 75%

eTranslation 75%

Europeana 75%

Public Open Data 75%

Enter the co-financing rate in the "Co-financing rate (%)" box located above the "Indicative

breakdown per beneficiary of estimated eligible costs of the action" table and click on the "Apply the co-financing rate" button. The co-financing rate will then be automatically applied to all of the

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activities listed in the table. It will be the same for all activities of the action and for all applicants

within the same activity. The estimated CEF contribution per activity and the total estimated CEF contribution for the action will be calculated automatically. Sources of financing: After the total estimated CEF contribution is calculated on the "Indicative breakdown per

beneficiary of estimated eligible costs of the action" table, the field "CEF requested financing" is automatically filled in in the "Sources of Financing" table. Applicants thus need to provide information on how they will cover the total remaining costs. Please note that the total of the sources of financing should be the same as the total eligible costs.

Click on an applicant to indicate the financial contribution to the proposed Action from all applicable sources of financing, including:

applicant's own budget state and regional/local budgets other sources (e.g. contributions from third parties other than state or regional/local

budgets)

amount of CEF Telecom funding requested

This must be done for each applicant. For multi-applicant proposals, all sources of financing must be entered per applicant. All amounts must be in euros.

Exchange rate: Specify the exchange rate used when preparing the application. In converting to euros, use the monthly accounting rate established by the Commission (ideally the rate of the month of submission of the application or, if not published at the time of the submission, the rate from the preceding month), available here: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/inforeuro/index.cfm?Language=en.

Related actions: List any EU grants already awarded to the applicant(s) that are related to the proposed Action by clicking the "Add related action" button. Provide the name of the action, the funding programme, signed grant agreement/adopted grant Decision number, and the amount granted (in euros).

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HOW TO COMPLETE PART A

After part A is fully encoded but before it is submitted, print it out using the TENtec eSubmission module's "Download this application" section.

Consult the print out and please note the following:

One A2.2 form (i.e. the form that includes the administrative details and the signature of

each applicant certifying its participation) is generated per applicant. For multi-applicant

proposals, the A2.2 form must be dated and signed by each applicant (if applicable). Each A2.2 form must be scanned and uploaded as a supporting document before proposal submission.

o If section A2.2 is not signed by the applicant, the proposal will be considered not

compliant with the admissibility requirements specified in section 5 of the call text and will not be evaluated. In the case of a multi-applicant proposal, the applicant

for which the signature is missing may be excluded from the proposal.

One A2.3 form (i.e the form certifying Member State approval) is generated per applicant. The A2.3 form must be completed and signed by the concerned EU Member State for each applicant (if applicable), even if there is more than one applicant from the same country.

In order to reduce administrative burden, a Member State may provide one approval to all

applicants from its Member State, as long as it is possible to verify for which applicants the approval applies. This can be done, for example, by:

o attaching a letter explaining which applicants are covered by the signature on a signed A2.3 form.

o using the Word version of the A2.3 form to include the details of all applicants that

the Member State is providing its approval to. The Member State should then sign this version of the form.

All documents must be scanned and uploaded as "Supporting Documents" before proposal submission (see section 4.6 below). Please see also "Approval Ministry" section on page 10.

o If section A2.3 (and the supporting letter as described above) is not completed,

signed by the concerned Member State (when required), and included in the application, the proposal will be considered not compliant with the eligibility criteria

specified in section 6 of the call text and will not be evaluated. In the case of a multi-applicant proposal, the applicant failing to provide the evidence of Member State support may be excluded from the proposal.

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o Please note that the completed A2.3 form with the DRAFT watermark will be accepted.

Applicants must keep the originals and provide them to INEA/Commission upon request.

All finalised documents should be uploaded to the TENtec eSubmission module and should be clearly named to allow their easy identification (See section 4.6 below).

Advanced electronic signatures based on a qualified certificate15 as defined by the eIDAS Regulation 16 and which comply with the signature formats specified in Commission Implementing Decision 2015/1506 will be accepted. If a document is e-signed, a printable version of the document must be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module.

4.3. Part B: Administrative information on applicants Part B contains the administrative information on applicant(s) and information used to demonstrate compliance with financial and operational capacity.

Complete application form part B following the instructions provided below. For multi-applicant proposals, the relevant parts of application form part B must be completed for each applicant. (Please refer to the box at the end of this section and/or the proposal checklist (available on all call

webpages) for a reminder about which sections of part B must be provided with the application, as described below.)

Part B and its supporting documents must be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's

"Supporting Documents" section (see section 4.6 below)

Legal Entity form (LEF) - Point 1

All applicants and their designated affiliated entities - except Member States/Member State regions and provinces, EEA countries and third countries - must upload the completed Legal Entity form (LEF) in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting documents" section, under "Required documents related to the applicant(s)". (For affiliated entities or implementing bodies this should be done under "Additional documents"). The LEF can be downloaded in editable form in all EU languages at the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/legal_entities/legal_entities_en.cfm. If applicable, the additional documents referred to in the LEF (register(s) of companies, official gazette, VAT registration, etc) should also be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module in the

"Supporting documents" section under "Additional documents for the application" (see section 4.6 below).

Grounds for exclusion (part B1 and B2) – Point 2 Section 6.2 of the call text refers to the situations which could lead an applicant to be excluded from participating in the call for proposals. All applicants and their designated affiliated entities - except Member States/EEA countries,

Member State regions and provinces of the EU, and third countries - must also complete and sign the declaration form (part B1 and part B2, as applicable) of application form part B. These documents should be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting documents" section under "Additional documents for the application" (see section 4.6 below).

15 For a list of trusted certificate providers please see:

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/eu-trusted-lists-trust-service-providers 16 EU Regulation 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the

internal market, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2014.257.01.0073.01.ENG

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The body or undertaking subject to the declarations made in part B1 and/or part B2 may be subject to rejection from the evaluation and to administrative sanctions (exclusion or financial penalty) if any of the declarations or information provided as a condition for participating in this procedure prove to be false. Evidence upon request

As specified in part B1 and part B2, the Commission/INEA may request any entity subject to these declarations to provide information and the applicable evidence on any person that is member of an administrative, management or supervisory body (persons with powers of representation, decision or control with regard to that entity). The Commission/INEA may request any entity subject to these declarations to provide the

applicable evidence concerning the entity itself.

This evidence may be requested as follows:

For situations described in (a), (c), (d) or (f) of section I of part B1 and B2: production of a recent extract from the judicial record or, failing that, an equivalent document recently issued by a judicial or administrative authority in the country of establishment of the entity showing that those requirements are satisfied.

For the situation described in point (a) or (b) of section I of part B1 and B2: production of recent certificates issued by the competent authorities of the Member State concerned. These documents must provide evidence covering all taxes and social security contributions for which the entity is liable, including for example, VAT, income tax (natural persons only), company tax (legal persons only) and social security contributions. If any document described above is not issued in the country concerned, it may be replaced by a sworn statement made before a judicial authority or notary or, failing that, a solemn statement

made before an administrative authority or a qualified professional body in its country of

establishment. If an entity has already submitted such evidence for the purpose of another procedure, the submitted documents are still valid and the issuing date of the documents does not exceed one year, the entity will be requested to declare on its honour that the documentary evidence has

already been provided and confirm that no changes have occurred in its situation. Financial Identification form – Point 3 The applicant in a single-applicant proposal or ONLY the coordinating applicant in a multi-applicant proposal must provide the official Financial Identification form, available in all EU languages at the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/financial_id/financial_id_en.cfm.

Upload the completed and stamped form in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting documents" section, under "Required documents related to the applicant(s)" (see section 4.6 below). If applicable, any additional documents referred to in the form (e.g. recent bank statement) should be uploaded under "Additional documents for the application".

Please note that if the coordinating applicant of a multi-applicant proposal changes before the proposal is submitted, a new Financial Identification form should be supplied with the application to reflect this. Requirements on financial and operational capacity – Point 4

Overview – Point 4.1 Each applicant must indicate in the table its name and legal status to be chosen from the following categories (consistent with what is selected in the application form part A2.1):

1. Member State/EEA country 2. Third country

3. Public sector undertaking or body established in the EU/EEA

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4. Private sector undertaking or body established in the EU/EEA

5. Public sector undertaking or body established outside the EU/EEA 6. Private sector undertaking or body established outside the EU/EEA 7. International organisation 8. European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) 9. Joint Undertaking

Applicants under categories (1), (2), (3), (7) and/or (9) as listed above are exempt from proving

their financial and operational capacity. Applicants that fall under category (8) in which at least one member is a public body are also exempt from proving their financial and operational capacity. Applicants which fall under above categories (4), (5), (6) and/or (8) in which no member is a public body, must prove that they have the financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed Action.

Please indicate in the table whether each applicant needs to provide financial and operational

capacity. If so, please confirm that the relevant supporting documentation is provided with the proposal. If any documentation proving the financial and operational capacity from one or more applicants is missing, this must be explained in the box below the overview table. Rows to the overview table may be added as required.

Financial capacity – Point 4.2 Only applicants that have to demonstrate their financial capacity (see above) must provide the relevant documents relating to financial capacity. The provision of these documents is based on the amount of the funding requested, in accordance with section 7.1 of the call text.

The documents include:

a. For requested grants lower than €60,000 (per applicant): a declaration on the applicant's honour

b. For requested grants equal to or higher than €60,000 (per applicant):

a completed financial capacity check form (see below) the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for the last financial year for

which the accounts were closed (Only for newly created entities and/or applicants that do not have financial data

available for the last financial year: the applicant must provide a letter of support from a third party (another company such as the parent company or from another applicant in the same proposal). The letter of support must also be accompanied by

the financial capacity check form completed by the party providing support, including the relevant annexes (financial statements for the last year) and showing a 'satisfactory' or 'good' ratio analysis.

c. For requested grants higher than €750,000 (per applicant): a completed financial capacity check form (see below) the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for the last financial year for

which the accounts were closed an audit report produced by an approved external auditor certifying the accounts

for the last financial year available (Only for newly created entities and/or applicants that do not have financial data

available for the last financial year: the applicant must provide a letter of support from a third party (another company such as the parent company or from another

applicant in the same proposal). The letter of support must also be accompanied by the financial capacity check form completed by the party providing support, including the relevant annexes (financial statements for the last year) and showing a 'satisfactory' or 'good' ratio analysis.

The financial capacity check form is available on each specific call webpage. Applicants must

include information from the most recent completed annual accounting exercises of the

organisation. The financial capacity ratios are calculated automatically and are shown in the Ratio Analysis worksheets.

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This information will be analysed during the financial capacity check, which consists of a financial

analysis based on a set of ratios. In order to be financially viable, an organisation must be liquid, solvent, profitable and autonomous. In other words, the organisation should be capable to cover its short-term and long-term commitments and it should be able to generate profits independently. Instructions on how to complete the financial capacity check form are included in the "Introduction" worksheet of the form, but please note the following:

For multi-applicant proposals, the financial capacity check form must be completed separately by/for each applicant.

In the "Overview" tab, an applicant must enter key information about the amount of the

grant requested, its role in the proposed Action, and its organisation. Please note that the total amount that will be co-financed by the Commission refers to the amount of grant

requested by this specific applicant.

Each applicant must complete the "Balance Sheet" and "Profit and Loss Account" worksheets of this form, along with information about the most recent completed annual accounting exercise of their organisation. For ease of reference, the translated terminology which can be used by an applicant's accounting department is available in French, German and English in the "Translations" worksheet.

Please note that a "weak" conclusion for an individual applicant does not automatically

exclude the applicant or the proposal itself from being evaluated. The potential impact will be thoroughly assessed on a case by case basis and may give ground to further steps to be undertaken by the involved applicants, such as a request for a financial guarantee in case a pre-financing payment is requested.

The financial capacity check form includes templates for financial guarantees. However, please note that such guarantee does not need to be provided at the time of the application

and will be requested for relevant applicants during the grant agreement preparation if the proposed Action is selected for funding.

For the other financial documents:

o Submit only those reference documents containing the data used to complete the financial capacity check form

o Make a clear link between the figures entered in the financial capacity check form and the submitted supporting documents. (To ensure this, add the electronic Excel table indicating the aggregated amounts).

After completing the financial capacity check form, upload it in Excel format in the "Supporting Documents" section of the TENtec eSubmission module, under "Additional documents for the application" (see section 4.6 below). Other supporting documents as indicated above should also be uploaded in order to allow crosschecks on the reliability of the information provided.

Operational capacity – Point 4.3

Applicants that are required to demonstrate their operational capacity must submit the relevant documents attesting that they have the technical and operational capacity to complete the proposed Action, complementing the information listed in section 7.2 of the call text and provided in application form part D, in particular sections D2.3. These must include:

description of the profiles of the people primarily responsible for managing and

implementing the operation accompanied by a curriculum vitae the organisation's activity reports for at least the last year a list of previous actions and activities carried out in equivalent actions in related fields

Upload these documents in the "Supporting Documents" section of the TENtec eSubmission module, under "Additional documents for the application" (see section 4.6 below).

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Designated affiliated entities – Point 4.4

In the event that the designated affiliated entities will be the only ones implementing the proposed Action, they must demonstrate they have the financial and operational capacity if the proposal is selected for funding. Documents demonstrating the financial and operational capacity do not need to be submitted at the time of the application but will be requested during grant agreement preparation, if the proposed Action is selected for funding. If unsatisfactory, the affiliated entity concerned may not be included in the grant agreement.

Complete the table as indicated in application form part B under "Designated affiliated entities", adding rows as needed. Requirements for applicants that are third countries or entities established in third

countries (part B3 and part B4) – Point 5

Applications including the participation of third countries and entities established in third countries must contain the agreement of an EU Member State/EEA country concerned by the proposed Action (see "Approval Ministry" in section 4.2 below). Part B3 (the proof of support of the third country authorities for entities established in third

countries) must be completed ONLY if the proposal includes the participation of an entit(ies) established in a third country. This form must be signed by the representative of the third country government concerned by the proposed Action. One B3 form may be supplied which covers multiple entities per third country. Part B4 must also be supplied ONLY if the proposal includes participation of a third countr(ies) or entit(ies) established in a third country. This form should be supplied by a European partner in the

proposal with an explanation why the participation of the third country applicant(s) in the proposal is necessary and/or indispensable in order to achieve the objectives of the DSI. One B4 form may

be supplied which covers all third country applicants. Overview of application form part B

Part Must be provided for

B All applicants

B1

All applicants except Member States/EEA countries, Member State regions and provinces of the EU, and third countries

B2

Each designated affiliated entity

B3

Each third country entity by the third country authority (one B3 form may cover multiple entities per third

country)

B4 Each third country applicant BY a European partner in the

proposal (one B4 form may cover all third country applicants)

4.4. Part C: Compliance with EU policy and law

The purpose of this part of the application form is to present information regarding the compliance of the proposal with the applicable EU policies and law, in particular on public procurement and accumulation of EU funding sources.

Part C must be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting Documents" section

under "Required documents for the application" (see section 4.6 below).

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Section I: Compatibility with EU law on public procurement Directive 2014/24/EU17 and Directive 2014/25/EU18 impose the application of specific procurement procedures for the award of contracts for a value exceeding specific thresholds. The use of inappropriate procurement procedures may have as a consequence that the costs related to these procedures will be considered ineligible.

Indicate whether the proposed Action is compliant with the two above-mentioned EU Directives on public procurement. If no, provide further information on public procurements planned during the implementation of the proposed Action and compliance with EU law. Section II: Other sources of EU funding

Indicate if the proposed Action or any part thereof has already benefitted or is expected to benefit

from any other source of EU funding. If yes, provide detailed information on the EU financial programme (e.g. European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund, Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), Horizon 2020,

Competitiveness and Innovation Programme), amount allocated, references of relevant grant Decisions/grant agreements, activities supported, beneficiary(-ies), etc. If the proposed Action has also applied for any EU financial aid other than CEF Telecom, explain the status of the application and provide information on the financial programme concerned, amount requested, activities to be supported, applicant(s), etc.

4.5. Part D: Technical and financial information

Part D requests information on the proposed Action and addresses questions which provide the basis for the evaluation of the proposal against the award criteria.

Part D and its relevant annexes/supporting documents must be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting Documents" section under "Required documents for the application" (see section 4.6 below). Don't forget to include a Gantt chart of the proposed Action

with part D detailing the critical path, including interdependencies and milestones of each activity.

It is very important to answer all of the questions and address all of the bullet/subpoints in part D as comprehensively as possible and to include all information relevant for the evaluation of the proposal within the application form. The information provided must be

complete, clear and self-explanatory. No request for further information, clarification or explanation will be made during the evaluation of the proposals. The absence/incompleteness of an answer is likely to result in a lower score given by the external experts for the relevant criteria, thus reducing

the chance that the proposal will be selected. If an answer to a particular question is not available/not applicable, this should be clearly explained.

Part D is structured in the following sections, mirroring the award criteria:

1. Relevance: contribution of the proposed Action to the Work Programme and call 2. Quality and efficiency of the implementation 3. Impact and sustainability

The guidance below indicates the minimum information that needs to be provided in each section

of part D, but please note that the type of information described below is not exhaustive. It is the applicant's responsibility to include any further details that it deems necessary for the full

17 The Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public

procurement (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 65) see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1491816924564&uri=CELEX:32014L0024

18 Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors (OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 1), see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1491817155783&uri=CELEX:32014L0025

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appreciation of the merits and justification of the proposed Action. It is also necessary to make

sure that specific reference is made to all bullet points listed below, including cases in which no information exists or is not applicable. Unless stipulated otherwise in the proposal, the description of the state of play is used to reflect the situation on the date of the submission. Application form part D should not exceed 30 pages. Don't forget to include a Gantt chart of the

proposed Action detailing the critical path, including interdependencies and milestones of each activity. Section 1 - Relevance to Work Programme Please provide information on:

How the proposal meets the requirements for the deployment of the Digital Service

Infrastructure described in chapter 3 of the 2017 Work Programme and in the relevant call for proposals text, specifically regarding the description of actions supported, benefits and expected outcomes as well as operation and stakeholder involvement. Where the Work Programme or the specific call for proposals outline technical specifications or components of the DSI, include information to clearly demonstrate how these requirements will be

implemented in the proposed Action. How the proposal is aligned with relevant policies, strategies and activities at European and

national level. In considering the above elements, please consider how the proposal contributes to the overall CEF Telecom objectives (i.e. supporting economic growth, helping to improve daily life for citizens, businesses and public authorities, and digital inclusion)

Please note that all applicants who already received CEF funding under previous calls (2016-3 for

Europeana and eTranslation (Automated Translation), 2015-1/2016-3 for eInvoicing and 2015-

1/2016-2 for Public Open Data) and who plan to apply again under this call must clearly explain here and/or in Q2.1 below (as relevant) how their proposed actions will differ from those actions funded under the previous call(s). For eInvoicing proposals, this also includes the 2015-1/2016-2 eDelivery calls, as well as any planned proposals for the 2017-2 eDelivery call.

Section 2 – Quality and efficiency of the implementation Q2.1 - Maturity of the proposed Action Please provide information on:

How the proposal contributes to the deployment of the Digital Service Infrastructure in terms of ensuring trans-European connectivity, access and interoperability and providing gateway services linking one or more national infrastructure(s) to the core service platform.

How the proposal, if applicable, builds on Building Block DSIs as listed in Section 1.1 of the Annex to the CEF Telecom Guidelines. Explain your own situation, and how you/your consortium plan to use components/standards of a particular Building Block as part of your

Action. How the proposal integrates, builds and follows on from pre-existing work, as outlined in

chapter 3 of the 2017 Work Programme, as well as the call text. If applicable, provide necessary details (including architecture and deliverables) regarding relevant existing technical solutions and/or those targeted by the action.

Please note that all applicants who already received CEF funding under previous calls (2016-3 for Europeana and eTranslation (Automated Translation), 2015-1/2016-3 for eInvoicing and 2015-1/2016-2 for Public Open Data) and who plan to apply again under this call must clearly explain here and/or in section 1 above (as relevant) how their proposed actions will differ from those

actions funded under the previous call(s). For eInvoicing proposals, this also includes the 2015-1/2016-2 eDelivery calls, as well as any planned proposals for the 2017-2 eDelivery call.

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Q2.2 - Management structure

Describe the organisational structure and decision making mechanisms, and explain how

and why they are appropriate to the complexity and scale of the proposed Action. Indicate how the applicants will be able to work together effectively.

Q2.3 – Risk assessment

Fill in the table on the application form with any critical risks that may hamper the achievement of the objectives of the proposed Action. Assess the probability of their occurrence and describe possible remedial or contingency actions in the risk assessment table. This information should include description of:

o Possible risks (linked to specific activities) o Potential impact (delays, cost overruns, cancellation, redesign, etc.)

o Likelihood/probability of occurrence (of the event) o Identified remedial actions undertaken or planned, including all types of planned

risk responses Q2.4 – Pending legal/administrative/technical issues

Describe any issues of a legal/administrative/technical/other nature which remain to be

settled before the activities can start (e.g. pending award of a contract, etc.). Specify whether any of the issues can impact the start date of the action/timely delivery of

the action. Provide information coherent with the risk assessment grid in Q2.3. Q2.5 – Consortium and consortium members* Information provided in this section will be used to assess operational capacity, in addition to those

documents requested in application form part B.

*Please note that single-applicant proposals should also complete this section using the guidelines below/as listed on the application form. For single-applicant proposals:

Describe how the single applicant matches the objectives of the proposed Action. Explain what is the single applicant's contribution to the Action and how it covers the value

chain, where appropriate. Include the curriculum vitae or description of the profile of the persons primarily

responsible for carrying out the proposed activities. Provide any other information relevant in support of the participant's/person's capacity to

bring the proposed Action to a successful conclusion.

Include any other information and/or supporting documents (e.g. organisation activity report, proof of the experience in carrying out related actions) specified in the 2017 Work Programme or the call text.

For consortia:

Describe the consortium as a whole and how it matches the objectives of the proposed Action.

Explain what each participant's contribution to the Action is and how the participants complement one another and cover the value chain, where appropriate. For each member of the consortium:

Describe the legal entities and their main tasks, with an explanation of how their profile

matches the tasks in the proposed Action. Include the curriculum vitae or description of the profile of the persons primarily

responsible for carrying out the proposed activities. Provide any other information relevant in support of a participant's/person's capacity to

bring the proposed Action to a successful conclusion.

Include any other information and/or supporting documents (e.g. organisation activity report, proof of the experience in carrying out related actions) specified in the 2017

Work Programme or the call text.

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Q2.6 – Subcontracting of tasks forming part of the action

If applicable, provide further information on the planned subcontracting activities as indicated in the Activities & Milestones section of application form part A (3.1) (i.e. implementation by a third party of tasks forming part of the action), including:

o Description of the tasks to be subcontracted o Method of selecting subcontractors and type of public procurement procedures

used, if applicable Explain the reasons why the activities you plan to subcontract cannot be implemented

by you/your consortium with your own resources. Q2.7 – Security, privacy, inclusiveness and accessibility

Describe the appropriate attention paid to the proposed Action's security and privacy and, where relevant, inclusiveness and accessibility issues.

If possible and relevant, please mention any adequate safeguards, international standards or EU and national legal requirements (if no international standard is available) with which you/your consortium intend to comply.

Q2.8 – National support

Describe the extent to which the proposed Action demonstrates support from national

authorities and, where relevant, industry and NGOs. Section 3 – Impact and sustainability Provide information on the following:

The contribution of the proposed Action to wider deployment and take-up of the DSI.

Where applicable, provide details about successive stages of deployment and the corresponding target groups.

How the proposed Action creates European added value. How the results are disseminated and how the service is advertised. How users are encouraged to make use of the service.

Describe how the proposed Action will be sustained, developed and scaled up without EU funding after its end with a view to achieving long-term sustainability, where appropriate through funding sources other than the CEF.

Section 4 – Annexes List and number all the annexes attached and uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module for

application form part D. In order to make the annexes more easily identifiable in the application, please make sure all of the annexes are named using the following convention:

"Part D - Annex 1_description)" "Part D - Annex 2_description)", etc

All relevant information for assessing the proposal against the award criteria must be provided in the application form. If additional information to support, illustrate or provide

evidence in support of an element described in application form part D is considered necessary, it may be included in annex, but please be aware that these additional documents are not systematically read during the evaluation.

Avoid sending extensive annexes, since only reasonable amounts of (supporting) information about

relevant statements in the proposal can be processed during the evaluation. Executive summaries could be one way to provide information instead of entire documents.

Any supporting annexes included must be clearly referred to and the relevant parts summarised in the application forms.

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4.6 Supporting documents In order to submit the application, application form parts B, C and D as described above and the required supporting documents as indicated for application form part A must be uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting Documents" section. Please note that only the last

version of any forms and documents uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module will be taken into account for the evaluation.

Please ensure that file names are clear and easily recognisable, i.e.:

Legal statutes_Applicant_xx.doc A2.2_form_applicant_.doc Financial_capacity_check_form_applicant_zz.xls

Document type To upload/provide

Required documents related to the applicant(s)

Financial Identification Form (ONLY for the designated coordinating applicant)

Legal Entity Form (if required, see section 4.3 above) for each applicant and statutes (or the relevant abstracts), if an applicant is required to demonstrate that its

representative has the capacity to undertake legal obligations (see section 4.2 "Applicants").

Required documents for the application

Application form parts B, C and D.

Additional documents for the application

Any other supporting documents (such as the completed A2.2 and A2.3 forms or specific requirements as indicated in the call text) other than those indicated in the first two rows above.

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5. Procedure for submission of proposals

5.1. Deadline for submission & how to submit The deadline for the submission of proposals is:

2017-3

eInvoicing Tuesday, 28 November 2017

17:00.00 (Brussels time)

eTranslation

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All proposals not submitted in the TENtec eSubmission system by this deadline will be considered as late and will not be evaluated.

Please note that all items marked with an asterisk (*) in the TENtec eSubmission module

indicate the minimum amount of information necessary to save the application in the system. Completion of all of remaining fields (except fax number) is required for the final submission of the proposal. In order to check the progress of the proposal completion, click on "Submit this Application". The list of missing elements will be displayed and which must be completed before the proposal can be successfully submitted. This can also be used as a checklist to ensure follow-up of the missing information, ideally well before the call deadline.

As a reminder:

All parts of the application form (A, B, C and D) must be submitted electronically through the TENtec eSubmission module before this deadline.

o Application form part A must be encoded directly in the TENtec eSubmission

module. Please note that for application form part A, ONLY the information encoded in the TENtec eSubmission module will be taken into account for the evaluation.

o Application form parts B, C, D must be completed, scanned where applicable

and uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting Documents" section

under "Required documents for the application" before the proposal submission (see section 4.6 above).

For any parts of the application requiring signatures (i.e. forms A2.2, A2.3, B1, B2, B3),

the signed and dated originals must be scanned and uploaded in the TENtec eSubmission module's "Supporting Documents" section under "Additional documents for the application" (see section 4.6 above).

Advanced electronic signatures based on a qualified certificate19 in the meaning of the as

defined by the eIDAS Regulation20 and which comply with the signature formats specified in

Commission Implementing Decision 2015/1506 will be accepted. If a document is e-signed, a printable version of the document must be uploaded in the TENTec eSubmission module.

E-mail or paper copies of the full or any parts of the application sent to the Agency will not be admissible.

Applicants who have submitted a proposal must inform INEA as soon as possible via the

call helpdesk of any change of an operational or financial nature that might affect them or the proposal.

Submitting the proposal Once all the information has been completed and all of the application form parts and supporting documents have been uploaded, go to the "Submit this application" section of the TENtec

19 For a list of trusted certificate providers please see:

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/eu-trusted-lists-trust-service-providers 20 See footnote 16

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eSubmission module. This section will display any missing information that must be

provided before the application can be submitted. Only the proposal owner (i.e. the user that has created the application in the first place) can submit the application. Click on the "Submit this application" button and reconfirm. The proposal code, which is automatically generated during submission of an application, will appear in the right column of the onscreen table and on the printout of the application form part A

following submission. This code will be used by INEA to identify the proposal during the evaluation as well as during the subsequent steps, if the proposal is selected for funding. Use this proposal code when communicating with INEA after the submission of proposal. After the proposal has been submitted, the proposal owner will receive an automatic e-mail acknowledgement of receipt of the application. This e-mail should not be taken as an indication

that the proposal is admissible, only that it was submitted.

Withdrawing a submitted proposal Applicants who wish to withdraw an already submitted proposal may do this before the call deadline via the TENtec eSubmission module homepage. Please note that only the proposal owner has the right to withdraw it.

Click on the "Withdraw" button under the Status column for that proposal and then click "OK" to confirm the selection.

The status of the proposal will change to "withdrawn". When the proposal owner withdraws an application, an e-mail notification is sent both to that person as well as to the INEA Evaluation team for its records. Please note that withdrawn proposals are still visible (read-only) in the system, and the contents

can be consulted and/or copied and pasted into other applications by both proposal owners and contributors. Re-opening a submitted or withdrawn proposal

It is possible to make changes to a proposal after it has been submitted and before the call deadline. The "re-open" functionality can be used in several cases:

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if the applicant has withdrawn an application by mistake

if an applicant wishes to modify and/or add information to an already submitted proposal Please note that only the proposal owner of the withdrawn/submitted proposal has the right to re-open it. Go to the TENtec eSubmission module homepage. Click on the "Re-open" button under the Status column for that proposal and then click "OK" to confirm the selection.

Once the withdrawn/submitted proposal is re-opened, its status changes from

"Withdrawn/Submitted" to "Draft" and it can be re-submitted up until the call deadline. Re-submitting a proposal To re-submit any withdrawn or re-opened proposal, go to the "Submit this application" section of the TENtec eSubmission module. This section will display any missing information that must be provided before the application can be re-submitted (see second box on page 10).

Only the proposal owner can submit the application. Click on the "Submit this application" button and reconfirm.

Please note that if the application is re-submitted, a new proposal code will be generated. Don't forget to retain this number for your own records.

Costs for any re-opened and re-submitted proposal may be eligible only from the last date of submission. Deleting a proposal Applicants have the possibility of deleting any draft proposals before they are submitted. Go to the

"My applications" section of the TENtec eSubmission module and click on the "Delete" button in the Status column for that proposal. Please note that after a proposal is deleted, the deletion is permanent and the proposal cannot be recovered from the system.

5.2. Further information or clarifications For up to date information about the call, applicants are encouraged to regularly consult the INEA website and especially the individual call webpages, accessible via the following link:

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https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-

telecom-calls-proposals Online FAQs for both general and call-specific issues are available at the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-telecom-frequently-asked-questions Applicants should sign up for the e-mail notification service to inform them when new updates to

the FAQs are posted online. See the above FAQ link for more information. Please check the online FAQs before contacting the helpdesk, as your question(s) may already have been addressed. If not, any additional questions should be sent to the call helpdesk: INEA-CEF-Telecom-calls@ec.europa.eu. Please specify the call identifier/call area in the subject of the e-mail.

The helpdesk will not send individual replies to e-mails it receives. Answers to submitted questions

will be published in the FAQs to ensure equal treatment of all potential applicants. Questions specific to a particular proposal and for which INEA's reply would provide a comparative advantage to applicants will not be answered. Any questions related to the content of the calls should be submitted at the latest by the dates

indicated below to ensure sufficient time for the last FAQ updates.

2017-3

Deadline for FAQ questions

Last FAQ update

eInvoicing

Tuesday, 14 November

Tuesday, 21 November

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In case of technical questions related to the TENtec eSubmission tool, the helpdesk will respond individually up until the call deadline. Please note that the general TENtec support service will not reply to call-related questions.

5.3. Processing of personal data The reply to any call for proposals involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as name, address and CV). Such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community

institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data.

Unless indicated otherwise, the questions and any personal data requested will be processed solely for the purpose of evaluation of proposals in accordance with the call for proposals and in case of successful applications, for the purpose of grant management including evaluations of the CEF by INEA as data controller for this purpose. Personal data included in the application (name, title,

organisation, contact information) may be shared within the limits set forth by Regulation 45/2001 with external experts whose contribution is necessary for evaluation of proposals and grants and with the concerned Member State representatives in the CEF Coordination Committee on a need to know basis in view of their role in the approval of proposals selected for funding, as well as responsibilities under the CEF Regulation. Details concerning the processing of an applicant's personal data are available in the privacy

statement on each call webpage, accessible via this link: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom/apply-funding/2017-cef-telecom-calls-proposals.

An applicant's personal data (e.g. name, given name if natural person, address, legal form, registration number and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) established by the Commission, should the beneficiary be in one of the situations

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mentioned in Article 106(1) and 107 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 on the financial

rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, as amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2015/1929 (OJ L 286, 30.10.2015, p. 1). For more information on EDES (including the grounds for being registered in the database), please see http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm and the privacy statement at http://ec.europa.eu/budget/library/explained/management/protecting/privacy_statement_edes_en

.pdf. Applicants are informed that, to ensure that the EU’s financial interests are protected, their personal data may be communicated to internal audit services, the European Commission, the European Court of Auditors, the body specialising in financial irregularities (Financial Irregularities Panel) or the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

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6. Glossary The following explanations are provided for clarity and ease of reference. They have no legal authority and they do not replace any official definitions.

A Access point (eDelivery): eDelivery is a building block that enables secure and reliable exchange of structured, non-structured and/or binary data within a distributed network of Access Points. An eDelivery Access Point is an implementation of the AS4 messaging protocol (profiled by e-SENS and now maintained

by CEF).21 If the use of an eDelivery Access Point is included in a proposal, support will be given to activities aiming to deploy or use the Access Point(s) and/or operate the Access Point(s) for one year. In addition to the Access Point the proposal may include the deployment or use of a Service Metadata Publisher (SMP), which must be an implementation of the SMP Specification profiled by e-SENS on top of the OASIS SMP Specification, also maintained by CEF.22 If the SMP component is

included in a proposal, support will be given to activities aiming to deploy or use the SMP(s) and/or operate the SMP(s) for one year.

The Core Service Platform of the eDelivery DSI makes available a testing platform to ensure that deployments of Access Points and SMPs comply with the technical specifications defined by the eDelivery DSI. An equivalent testing platform may be used, though this may subject to verification by the eDelivery DSI.

Acknowledgement of receipt: An automatic e-mail sent to applicants confirming that their proposal was successfully submitted in the TENtec eSubmission module. Action: Any activity (or set of activities) which has been identified as financially and technically independent, has a set timeframe and is necessary for the implementation of a project of common interest. An action is made up of one or more activities (see below).

Activity: A part of an action that is distinct technically, financially or over time and which contributes to the completion of the action. The implementation of an activity leads to the completion of an expected result or output. Affiliated entity: an entity affiliated to the beneficiary within the meaning of Article 122 of the Financial Regulation: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32012R0966

Any designated affiliated entities have to comply with the eligibility and selection criteria defined in the relevant Work Programme. Examples of affiliated entities could be as follows:

Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the beneficiary (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries)

Entities directly or indirectly controlling the beneficiary (parent companies)

Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the beneficiary (sister companies)

Applicant: The organisation submitting a proposal to a call for proposals. It is assumed that an applicant may automatically become the action's beneficiary, if the proposal is selected for funding. There may be several applicants in a proposal. When the call for proposals includes a consortium composition requirement, the number of applicants needs to be equal or greater than the number of entities required for consortium composition.

Award criteria: Part of the evaluation criteria on the basis of which proposals will be assessed. The award criteria are generally the same for all proposals throughout CEF Telecom, and relate to relevance, impact and quality and implementation.

B Beneficiary: any entity which signs directly or through a mandate to the coordinator a grant agreement with INEA, whether or not the beneficiary requests funding from the EU. Applicants,

21 https://ec.europa.eu/cefdigital/wiki/display/CEFDIGITAL/PR+-+AS4 22 https://ec.europa.eu/cefdigital/wiki/display/CEFDIGITAL/PR+-+SMP

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whose proposals are selected for funding by the Commission, are expected to become the

beneficiaries of the financial aid awarded for the selected Action.

C Call for proposals (or "call"): An announcement that opens parts of a Work Programme for

proposals, including specific details regarding the nature of the actions that may be supported CEF: Connecting Europe Facility CEF Regulation: Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013 of European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing the Connecting Europe Facility, amending Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulations (EC) No 680/2007 and (EC) No 67/2010 (OJ L 348, 20.12.13,

p.129), see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32013R1316

Coordinating applicant: Leads and represents all of the applicants in a multi-applicant proposal and acts as the first point of contact with INEA during the application phase. A coordinating applicant may not necessarily become the coordinator of the Action in the grant agreement.

Coordinator: The main contact point for INEA during the project management phase and will be, inter alia, responsible for receiving the grant payment(s) from the Agency and distributing the funds to the other beneficiaries, as well as coordinating the reporting exercise(s), including the submission of request(s) for payment. Consensus meeting: Stage in the proposal evaluation process when experts come together to establish a common view on a particular proposal

D Data protection policy: Policy and legal framework which define the conditions under which

personal data is to be collected and processed in the context of the call for proposals (Regulation

(EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32001R0045). Deadline: The moment in a particular call after which proposals will not be accepted by the Commission/INEA. Deadlines are strictly enforced.

Deliverable: A verifiable output of the proposed Action. Normally, each activity will produce one or more deliverables during its lifetime. Deliverables are often written reports but can also take another form, for example the completion of a prototype etc. Direct eligible costs: All eligible costs which can be attributed directly to the Action and are

identified by the applicant as such, in accordance with its accounting principles and its usual

internal rules (for a detailed description, see Article II.19 of the model grant agreement).

E

End date: The end date is the date on which the implementation of an Action is expected to be completed. European Economic Area (EEA) country: In the context of participation in the CEF Telecom calls for proposals these are currently Norway and Iceland EEIG: European Economic Interest Grouping (established in line with Council Regulation (EEC) N°

2137/85 of 25 July 1985, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al26015) Eligible costs: The same meaning as in the Financial Regulation (see below). For a detailed

description, see Article II.19 of the model grant agreement. Eligible costs refer to the part of the Action's costs taken into consideration by the Commission for the calculation of the EU financial aid and which comply with eligibility criteria as laid down in Article II.19 of the model grant agreement.

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For Actions supported under this call, expenditure may be eligible as from the date the application

is submitted at the earliest. Eligibility criteria: The minimum conditions which a proposal must fulfil to be eligible for evaluation

ERDF: European Regional Development Fund

ESIF: European Structural and Investment Funds. EU Login: As of November 2016, the new name of the European Commission's main authentication service, the former ECAS Evaluation: The process by which proposals are/are not retained with a view to selection as

projects. Evaluation is conducted through the application of eligibility, award and selection criteria identified in a Work Programme. The evaluation is conducted by INEA, assisted by independent

experts. Evaluation criteria: The eligibility, award and selection criteria against which proposals are assessed.

F Financial Identification Form: A form to provide detailed information to identity a company/organisation. Applicants must provide the Financial Identification Form used by the Commission services. The form can be downloaded at the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/financial_id/financial_id_en.cfm. Financial Regulation: Regulation (EU, EURATOM) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2013 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the

Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1). See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32012R0966

G Gantt: A project planning tool used to represent the timing of tasks required to complete a project. Gantt diagrams are used by most project managers for all but the most complex projects. It should be included with application form part D.

Grant: Direct financial contributions covered by a written agreement, by way of donation, from the EU budget in order to finance an action intended to help achieve an objective forming part of an EU policy Grant agreement: Agreement between INEA and the beneficiaries setting out the conditions of

the awarding of EU grants under CEF Telecom

Grant agreement preparation: The process of establishing a grant agreement between INEA and an applicant whose proposal has been favourably evaluated, and when funds are available

I Implementing body: A public or private undertaking or body that may be designated by a beneficiary, where the beneficiary is a Member State/EEA country or an international organisation, to implement the proposed action. Such designation should be decided upon by the beneficiary under its own responsibility and, if it requires the award of a procurement contract, in compliance with the applicable EU and national public procurement rules. Please note that implementing bodies

are not considered as applicants in a proposal. In case the call includes consortium composition criteria in section 6.1 of the call text, implementing bodies are not taken into account as part of the required number of consortium members.

Indirect eligible costs: Costs which are not identifiable as direct costs, but which have nevertheless been incurred in connection with the eligible direct costs of the Action.

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INEA: Innovation and Networks Executive Agency

International organisation: According to Article 43(1) of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 (on the rules of application of the Financial Regulation, international organisations are:

(a) international public sector organisations set up by intergovernmental agreements, and specialised agencies set up by such organisations

(b) the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

(c) the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (d) other non-profit organisations assimilated to international organisations by a Commission

decision.

J Joint Undertaking: for the purposes of this call, a joint undertaking established by the EU for the

efficient execution of EU research, technological development and demonstration programmes, as referred to in Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012E%2FTXT

L Legal entity form: A European Commission form used to collect information about legal coordinates so that they can be recorded in the "Legal Entity File (LEF)" managed by the Accounting Officer of the Commission. Under the terms of the regulatory provisions, INEA cannot

launch awarding procedures for a contract or a subvention, nor can proceed to the authorization of payments in beneficiary's favour, as long as the legal coordinates are not recorded and centrally validated.

M Means of verification: Means by which the completion of a milestone will be measured. It must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-related – for example the issuing of a certificate of acceptance, the signature of a contract by the last contractual party, etc. Member State: A state which is a member of the European Union. In the context of the CEF, the Member State approval of an application may be provided by any Ministry entitled to represent the

Member State authority. It is expected that applications under CEF Telecom gather the support of the Ministry competent in the area of the given policy and/or the CEF. Milestones: Indications regarding how an activity or task is progressing and its associated expected results. Each activity should relate to milestones related to at least its end time, as well as preferably its corresponding intermediate milestone(s).

Mono-applicant proposal: An application for CEF funding that is submitted by one applicant. Same as "single-applicant proposal".

Multi-applicant proposal: A proposal submitted by more than one applicant. They must have a designated coordinator (see also "coordinating applicant") to facilitate communication with the Commission and INEA during the application phase

P Project of common interest: A project as specified in Regulation (EU) No 283/2014 on guidelines for trans-European networks in the area of telecommunications infrastructure and repealing

Decision No 1336/97/EC. Proposal: The application for a proposed Action as a complete package, including application form parts A, B, C and D and their relevant annexes, as specified in the call for proposals.

Proposal code: Proposal code is automatically generated by TENtec eSubmission module upon the submission of a proposal for CEF funding.

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Proposal owner: The user that has created the application for the proposed Action in the TENtec

eSubmission module. Proposal owners are the only ones which can submit, withdraw, re-submit and/or delete the application. A proposal owner may be from the coordinating applicant or a third party preparing the proposal on an applicant's behalf. Public entity: see "public sector body" Public sector body: Regional or local authorities, body governed by public law or association

formed by one or several such authorities or one or several such bodies governed by public law. For the purpose of assessing the selection criteria as set in the calls for proposals, entities governed by public law and that fulfil the following conditions will be assimilated to a public sector body:

(a) established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, not having an industrial or commercial character; and

(b) having legal personality; and (c) financed, for the most part by the State, or regional or local authorities, or other bodies

governed by public law; or subject to management supervision by those bodies; or having an administrative, managerial or supervisory board, more than half of whose members are appointed by the State, regional or local authorities or by other bodies governed by public law

R Reserve list: A list that may be drawn up, if appropriate, listing the proposals that may only be financed if funds become available following the grant agreement preparation of projects on the main list. Due to budgetary constraints it may not be possible to support all proposals that have

been evaluated positively. Rules of Application: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of the Financial Regulation, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32012R1268

S Selection Decision: A Commission Implementing Decision establishing a list of proposals selected for financial aid submitted under a specific call for proposals Single-applicant proposal: An application for CEF funding that is submitted by one applicant.

Same as "mono-applicant proposal". Start date: The day on which the implementation of an Action actually begins, as stated in the grant agreement. It corresponds to the date from which costs may be considered eligible. For actions supported under this call, costs may be eligible at the earliest as from the date on which the application is submitted.

T TENtec: Interactive Information System for Trans-European Networks, used for the grant management cycle under the CEF

TENtec eSubmission module: The IT tool used to manage the CEF projects during their entire lifecycle and enables the electronic submission of proposals under the CEF calls. It allows electronic encoding of application form part A and the uploading of its other parts (B, C, D) and their respective annexes Third country: any neighbouring or other country with which the EU may cooperate to achieve the

objectives pursued in this case by the CEF Regulation Thresholds: For a proposal to be considered for funding, the evaluation scores for individual criteria must reach certain thresholds. An overall threshold may also apply.

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U Unique proposal code: The proposal code automatically generated by the TENtec eSubmission module upon the submission of a proposal and based on a sequential number of already submitted proposals

W Work programme: A Commission Implementing Decision adopted for the implementation of a specific programme that sets out the objectives and results expected, the schedule and details of the calls for proposals, indicative budgets, and the evaluation procedure. The work programme applicable for this set of calls is Commission Implementing Decision C(2017)696 of 8 February

2017.

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7. Creating an EU Login/registering in TENtec

EU Login

1. Go to the EU Login register page (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/cas) and enter:

• your first name, last name and e-mail address, your re-confirmed e-mail address, choice of e-mail language and

• the displayed security code. You must also confirm that you have read and understood the privacy statement by checking the box indicated.

2. Select "Create an account" 3. You will receive an e-mail to the address that you specified containing a link you can use to complete the registration process.

4. Click the link and you will be asked to choose and confirm a password.

5. Go to the TENtec eSubmission website (link is available on each call page). 6. Click "LOGIN" and log in with your EU Login.

TENtec All first-time users of the TENtec eSubmission system must also register their EU Login in TENtec. 1. Click on the following link: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/tentec/grant/asreport/registration

2. After completing the details, you will see a screen confirming that the registration was successful, and there will be a link to the TENtec portal on the page.